The Airport's Environmental and Technical Services (ETS) division held two environmental sustainability workshops for employees in June. More than 50 employees attended the sessions.

The goal of the scoping sessions is twofold, said Sharon Douglas, senior environmental compliance manager.

"We wanted to document all the green things the Airport is already doing," Douglas said. "We also wanted to brainstorm with the attendees to come up with new ideas for reducing the Airport's environmental impact."

Ideas touched on energy and water conservation, waste management and emissions reductions.

"We are already doing a number of the ideas suggested, like rain barrels and composting, but there were many ideas worth looking into further," Douglas said.

One such suggestion is the use of carbon-credit kiosks at the Airport. These kiosks give environmentally conscious travelers the opportunity to determine the amount of carbon dioxide associated with their trips and what it costs to offset the emissions. They then can pay for their personal carbon credits. The money generated would go toward sustainability projects at the Airport.

"This may or may not work at Hartsfield-Jackson, but it shows the value of the scoping sessions and the creative ideas that people have," Douglas said.

The ETS-sponsored scoping sessions are part of the Airport's ongoing work to cooperate with the City of Atlanta's mission to reduce its carbon footprint.

"Sustainability is much more than just complying with regulations," Douglas said. "It's about going above and beyond to protect the environment. And it's everyone's responsibility."